Songs About Hope, Resilience, and Compassion
published 9/22/20; updated 11/12/25
by Catharine Hannay, founder of MindfulTeachers.org
Continuing the popular series of Song Playlists for Teachers, here are a variety of songs about hanging in there and helping each other.
Teachers, please note: With a multicultural audience teaching young children through adults, I can’t guarantee that all of the songs and videos will be appropriate for your particular context. Please preview anything you plan to share with your students.
Brighter Days, Blessing Offor
lyrics; official video; The Big Sing on Britain’s Got Talent
Broken and Beautiful, Kelly Clarkson
lyrics; official video; video of live performance; video of dance performance by JoJo Gomez Choreography
By Your Side, Sade
lyrics; performance by Allison Russell; official audio by Sade
Hold On, Justin Bieber
Hope Lingers Here, Lissa Schneckenburger
performance by Vancouver Youth Choir; original recording by Low Lily (lyrics in video description)
Keep on Keepin On, Daphne Willis
lyrics; video of live performance
Keep on Pushing, The Impressions
lyrics; audio of The Impressions; audio of cover by Indra Rios-Moore
One More Light, Linkin Park
video of One Voice Children's Choir, after the suicide of a former choir member (lyrics in video description)
Possibilities, Darius Rucker
lyrics (written by the father of a patient at St. Jude's); video of recording session; audio
Resilient, Rising Appalachia
lyrics; audio; official video featuring modern dancers; video of recording at Studio B
Song of Peace and Hope , Jonathan Van Der Lugt
lyrics; official video (This song is dedicated to refugees.)
Young Roots, Paul Izak
lyrics; video of performance with Amber Lily and Tubby Love
Related Posts
There are many more song playlists and resources on resilience and compassion here at MindfulTeachers.org, including the following posts: